IOI Loders Croklaan Europe embraces savings potential of effective insulation at new Rotterdam facility

IOI Loders Croklaan, a leading global producer and supplier of vegetable oils and fats, recently opened its new facilities in the Port of Rotterdam. The new factory which produces enzymatically rearranged food ingredients, represents a significant breakthrough in the oils and fats industry in terms of innovation. The plant also meets with IOI Loders Croklaan’s long-term strategic goals in the area of sustainability. It features the latest technologies to recover heat, minimize CO₂ emissions, and reduce energy wastage. When designing the plant, IOI Loders Croklaan worked closely with environmental surveyors to minimize impact to the local environment and ecosystems.

According to Gert van den Berg, Project Manager for IOI Loders Croklaan, insulation was an important design consideration: “With sustainability high on the agenda, insulation was not only a necessary requirement. We also believe that effective insulation can help to optimise our process. An insulation quickscan by Senter Novem clearly confirmed that insulation can make a significant contribution in saving energy. In fact, the results of the calculation are so positive that both our Purchasing and Maintenance Departments were pleasantly surprised.”

One uninsulated valve, for example, equals at least 5 metres of uninsulated pipe. According to calculations by the NCTI, the “Nederlands Centrum voor Technische Isolatie (Netherlands Centre for Technical Insulation)“ show that effective insulation of one single valve in an outside 220°C diameter DN 150 steam pipe can save up to 9,650 m³ of gas per annum. This represents a yearly saving of almost € 3,000 against a modest investment of around € 200, i.e. a Return On Investment of less than 2 months.

Working with Rockwool Technical Insulation, the new IOI Loders Croklaan plant is now fully insulated. Gert Prins, Manager Health & Safety for IOI Loders Croklaan explains: “We decided to insulate all valves and flanges, because this is where you lose measurable amounts of heat/energy. Insulation here pays back very quickly. Elsewhere, we made sure that all piping, tanks and equipment were insulated in the most effective way.”

Gert Prins concludes: “It is obviously easier to incorporate insulation in a new design, where you can optimise the performance of the insulation materials. Our initial choice of materials was based on previous experience as well as CINI (Commissie Isolatie Nederlandse Industrie – Dutch Industry Insulation Commission) standards and we made adjustments along the way. Sustainability remains a key consideration and we welcome the opportinity to lower our carbon footprint. And of course we are happy to see a reduction in the cost of maintenance and an increase in the speed of our return on investment.”

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